


Breathe

by chocotella



Category: Figure Skating RPF, Real Person Fiction, Sports RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-04 10:28:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14591055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocotella/pseuds/chocotella
Summary: Evgenia was overwhelmed with all the changes that she has to go through and Yuzuru helped her to find a way to breathe.





	Breathe

It’s the week before the first show of Fantasy on Ice started and Yuzu just arrived in Makuhari preparing for the show. He just got to his room when a message arrived on his phone.

 _From: Misha_  
_Mandatory bear gang catch up in Zhenya’s room. Come asap._

Without unpacking, Yuzu left his room and headed for the floor below him. He was lost in his thought when he finally arrived at Zhenya’s room. After one knock and a few breaths later, Misha opened the door and greeted him in. 

“Yuzu!! What happen to you! Why do you look like pooh’s gone missing.” 

“Tired….” Yuzu headed for the bed and throw himself on the bed. 

“Hey! I havent seen you in a long time don’t be such a bore” Misha poke Yuzu around his stomach making him move away a from the edge of the bed.

“Where is Zhenya?” 

“Oh, in the shower, she’s not feeling too well… you know right?” Yuzu came closer to Misha and whispered “The eteri thing?”

“Yeah.. don’t mention it to her though.” 

“mhm..” Yuzu mumbles as he overview around the room. He knew Zhenya has been hopping from one show to another and all the drama took her time and attention. She must’ve been exhausted especially with her recovery. 

“Hows the choreographer job going on with you?” 

“Everything I could’ve dreamt for actually, never thought that I would love the backstage stuff as much as I love performing. I mean getting to do both is absolutely amazing- “ 

“Oh Hey Yuzu, didn’t know you arrived already,” Zhenya came out of the shower with her wet hair and her pyjamas and made her way to the bed sitting next to Yuzu. Yuzu was stunned on his place, it’s rare for him to see Zhenya with her free hair, he find it quite stunning. 

“Hi to you too” 

“Anyway, yeah back to that, I’ve actually got something in store for this show,” Misha continued his conversation as he scroll down his phone excited to show something. 

Yuzu rest his head on the bed again, his body was really pushing him to rest instead of socializing today. 

“Oops, sorry guys, duty calls, I have to discuss some things with the staff. It’ll be quick, I’ll come back in a while okay?” Misha said as he rushed to the door and left Yuzu and Zhenya in the room. 

Yuzu and Zhenya just stayed in their position and let the noise from the TV run the mood of the room. 

“Are you ready?” Yuzu asked in the midst of their silence. 

“For Canada?” 

“mhm..” 

“Have you ever though? feel ready for it?” Zhenya laid her head on the bed next to Yuzu's. 

“It always feels like the first time. Not used to it.” 

“Well I guess I’ll find out soon enough.” She turned her back against Yuzu and faced the other way. 

They were comfortable in the silence. Strangely comfortable, breathing at their own pace and lost in their own thoughts. 

“When would it end?” Zhenya’s voice cracked the silence. 

“huh?”

“The pain..” 

“Eventually you’ll get back on your feet. It takes time of course, just be patient.” 

“Not that. The fight…” She turned her body towards Yuzuru facing him, her eyes wondered around the person before her “I just want to skate…not having to deal with all the diplomacy and media…”

Yuzu feel pity to the tiny figure in front of him, having to look at the melancholic eyes that shows how restless she’s been the past couple months. He could see the dark under eyes or the way her lips that shows weariness. 

“Everything takes time Zhenya… I believe that the deepest trough will lead to the highest mountain. Your time will come.” 

“But everything keeps on coming.. one after the other..” She held her jacket closer to her body, tightening the only thing that is keeping her together. “What if I cant make it…” Yuzu could hear the crack in her voice, that sound made his heart clench. 

“Hey… look at you, you’ve gone too far to give up…” He placed his hand on top of her head, trying to soothe her feelings. 

“You’re going be there right?”

“Always. I’ll be here when you need me.” He moved his hand her hair, making sure that she knows he’ll always be there. 

“Thank you…” Zhenya gave Yuzu a thin smile and let down her hand to her sides. 

They stayed in silence for a few moment, face towards the ceiling. Although her body was there, her mind was somewhere else. She went back to all her decisions, looking at how hard she has worked all this time. All the sweat, blood and tears, the triumph and the losses. Yuzu is right, she has gone too far to quit. Nevertheless, there is this rock in her head that keeps her from believing that it is all going to be okay. She closed her eyes, trying to push off the negativity around her. 

Yuzu the other way around was admiring the person before him. He always wondered how that tiny figure could hold all of her feelings inside. Yuzu knows that Zhenya is not the type of person who pours her heart out and that is why this moment felt so intimate for him. He admired her strength form the beginning that he saw her. The admiration has bloomed over the years and without him knowing he cares about her more than he could imagine. 

“It will be fun you know, having you there.” Yuzu turned his head around as he saw that she was already in deep sleep. Her face looks more relax than before, and he could feel her steady, slow breathing. 

Yuzu got up from the his side of the bed to Zhenya’s side and wrap the blanket over her body, not wanting her to get cold over the night. He rested the pillow lower so her head could rest better and turned off her bedside light. She looks like a little child on the huge bed, and all Yuzu wanted was to keep her safe. After a while, Yuzu left the room and head back to his own room. 

_To: Misha_  
_Zhenya’s asleep already, don’t go back to her room. Let’s just talk tomorrow._

——-

“Knock.. knock…”  
Zhenya rushed to her hotel door from the bathroom. It was 7 in the morning and she just woke up for her sleep. Strangely, it was the first time she slept well since the olympics. 

“Do you know that it’s 7 a.m. and unlike you, some people enjoy their sleep?” Zhenya said as she opened the door and find Yuzu in front of the door. 

“Hello sleepy head, get ready, we’re going in 10 minutes.” Yuzu entered the room as he mentioned it to her. 

“huh? what in 10 minutes? practice doesn’t start until 11”

“You’re coming with me to the tv studio,” 

“No.. no.. noo.. I havent gotten ready and why would I agree with this, I can just not go and no one will get mad at me,” 

“I will.. C’mon hurry up, I’ll pack your skates and wear something comfortable to skate, your all black emo outfit would be fine.” Yuzu pushed Zhenya towards the bathroom while he spotted Zhenya’s skating boots. 

Zhenya grabbed her practice outfit and rushed into the bathroom, she got ready a fast as she could, put on a little bit of powder and eyeliner. 

“Ready?” Yuzu shouted from outside. 

“Just a sec, I haven’t fix my hair” 

Yuzu opened the bathroom door and pull Zhenya’s hand when she was fiddling with her hair. “Leave it like that, you look prettier that way anyway.” He put a little smile before heading off of her room.

After half an hour drive filled with Zhenya huffing and Yuzu pretending that he did nothing wrong, they arrived to the ice rink near the TV studio. As soon as they come out the car, they were brought to the locker area of the rink. There, Yuzu and Zhenya went ahead with their before-practice routine. 

“What are we doing here?” Zhenya asked while she looked around the room. 

“Just see..” 

“Why did you bring me along?”

“Why not?” 

Zhenya who was already frustrated by Yuzu just punch him lightly on his arm and continue to get ready for something she doesn’t know when the staff called them out. As soon as they were out of the locker room, Zhenya could see around twenty children with helmets around the edge of the rink. Their smiles continued to get bigger as they saw Yuzu and Zhenya closer to the rink. 

“Yuzu… am I supposed to prepare a routine or something?” Zhenya asked as she pulled Yuzu’s jacket down. 

“Actually, you’re gonna assist me on teaching these kids skate” Yuzu took off his guard and enters the rink while greeting the children. 

Zhenya collected herself before entering the rink and just stand beside Yuzu while he greeted the children. Since she’s not fluent in Japanese, she just looked around the children and wave to them every once in a while. 

“Put your hands out, balance” Yuzu put his right hand to his side and stomp his feet. He looked at Zhenya telling her to do the same. 

“Now stomp your feet, right, left, right, left” As he got to the middle of the rink, he looked around and smile all around. 

“and bend your knee and slowly stop!” Zhenya followed what Yuzu said while she looks at the one next to her. 

“yes, like that! great job” Yuzu high - fived the little girl in front of him and help some others with their first steps. Zhenya could feel the warmth in the room, as she looks around to the children in front of her, she could feel their excitement similar to what she felt when she first skated. She looked at Yuzu who was steadying a boy and watch his smile get bigger as he helped more kids. Zhenya joined in helping some other kids around her. 

After sometime spending with the children, Zhenya got more and more comfortable with them. Despite the language barrier, they were really excited to get help from Zhenya and she enjoyed spending her time with the children. 

“You’re having fun?” Yuzu asked as he stand next to Zhenya who was teaching a girl how to glide smoothly. 

“yes yes yes!! thank you for dragging me here” Zhenya turned her attention around to him and hugged him. After a while, a group of children were surrounding the both of them, some of them laughing, some smiling shyly. 

“Uuu Hanyu-senpai have a girlfriend” a little boy teased Yuzu in Japanese while laughing around which brings the other children to laugh. Yuzu scratch the back of his hair as his face getting redder and redder. He grabbed the boy’s waist as he try to ran away from Yuzu. 

Zhenya who didn’t understand what the tease was about just smile looking at the view in front of her. She was glad that Yuzu practically dragged her to come here, she could feel the blood rushing through as she skated around the children and for once in a very long time, she felt that everything is in its place. 

—  
Zhenya could not stop smiling the whole day, although they were late to their practice and did not get any rest time she was still warm from the event in the morning. Something bloomed during the 3 hour time she spent with Yuzu and the children. She felt like it was okay to let things go, she felt the passion for skating that truly comes within. 

It was around 8 p.m. and all the skaters just arrived back to the hotel after the practice, she was exhausted from the day she had. Nevertheless, every time she glance at Yuzu during rehearsal she could feel a jump in her heart. It was just the two of them in the lift since they took a detour to the dining hall to fill the missed lunch. 

“Thank you, Yuzu” 

“What for?” 

“For today, it took my mind off of things, thank you.” 

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Yuzu gave Zhenya a little smile, while settling his hand on the brim of the elevator. 

“I truly did, you made me feel the excitement of skating again-“ Zhenya smiled to Yuzu as she got closer to him. “ding-“ the lift opens at Zhenya’s floor, instead of exiting immediately, she got closer to Yuzu. She tipped toe and give him a little kiss on his cheek, she instantly left the lift straight to her room. 

Yuzuru was surprised with what happen and could not stop smiling when he entered his room, and the same goes to Evgenia.


End file.
